Her Cousin
by Macie F
Summary: April's cousin moves to town and forms special bonds with the turtles. One bond will change and grow over time. OC/turtle eventually.
1. Chapter 1

She was sitting on her cousin's couch lazily flipping through the channels only half paying attention. Having only moved here yesterday, the tv and internet at her place wasn't set up yet. An old movie popped up and she paused on it for a second before changing her mind and continuing on. Suddenly, there was a noise to her right and out of the corner of her eye a shape appeared. Someone screamed "We're here!" She jumped off the couch quickly to turn and face the intruder and in the process lost her balance and fell over. There was a high pitched, girly scream and then the sound of several bodies hitting the floor. The first intruder it appeared got scared and jumped backwards into the other three and proceeded to knock everyone down. The girl just stared down at the bodies accessing the situation. It was quite comical to see four people dressed in turtle costumes in a pile. "Yo April! I uhh think you have friends here..." the girl called over her shoulder.

The red head came rushing into the living room. "Crap! I'm sorry guys. I forgot you were coming over tonight." The guys were getting to their feet finally after much grumbling and bickering. "And glad to see you're not freaking out.." April raised her eyebrows at her cousin and gave her a questioning look.

"Dude, I've seen so much weird shit in Vegas four guys in turtle costumes doesn't even register anymore," she laughed. "But what's up with the ninja gear and coming in the window? You weren't very sneaky ya know announcing yourselves."

"Hey! I can be plenty sneaky when I want to be," the one that let out the girly scream pouted. "The name's Mikey," he reached his hand out to shake.

"I'm Eve." As she was stretching her hand out as well, the blue turtle started to protest. "No, Mikey don't!" Only he was too late and their hands had already locked. The brothers watched Eve's face transform from a smile to shock. "Whoa," she whispered, her eyes wide. She reached her free hand up and gave Mikey a pinch. "Ouch," he yelped and grabbed his hand back rubbing it. Not entirely convinced yet she walked around the other brothers while they all continued to stare at her. Eve looked Leo up and down and focused on his breathing. His whole body moved with him. She went to Donnie next and prodded him in the shoulder hard. He didn't react quite as much as Mikey, but she could still tell he felt it. "Don't even think about it Princess," Raph barked when she moved in front of him.

Eve tore her eyes away from them finally to address April. "They're real aren't they?" April nodded back a yes. "I need a drink," she gasped.

Raph doubled over laughing, "She speaks my language!"

Eve steadied herself in the kitchen clutching onto the counter. "Breathe. Just breathe," she whispered to herself. Clearly the turtles didn't mean any harm, since they appeared to be friends with her cousin. April had mentioned having interesting friends though she didn't know they'd be this interesting. Once she composed herself enough, she grabbed two beers out of the fridge and went back to the living room. The turtles all settled into furniture making themselves comfortable. "I thought you'd want one." Eve tossed her extra beer to the red turtle. "I didn't catch all you're names yet," she twisted the cap off her beer and took a swig.

Mikey sprang to his feet shouting, "I want to tell her!" They others groaned, but otherwise remained silent as the excited turtle jumped right in. He went over everyone's names, their nicknames (good and bad), and then got lost in the story of how they came to be, even acting out scenes.

"So, let me see if I got this. You're mutant turtles who live in the sewer with their mutant rat father and you're ninjas, yes?" Eve summarized once Mikey had finally stopped talking. He nodded back grinning. "This is beyond cool. I mean, seriously, April I can't believe you happened to meet them," she turned to look at her cousin.

"I got luckily," she smiled back warmly.

"Oh! That's another great story!" Mikey bounced excitedly again.

"No!" Everyone shouted in unison.

"We have to get started with movie night Mike or we'll never finish the movie," Leo reasoned. There was much debate over which movie to watch, since everyone had a different opinion. Finally, Mikey won out and they settled down to watch Iron Man. Being the youngest after all did have its benefits sometimes.

When the credits started to roll, Eve stretched and gave a big yawn. "Time to roll out. I've got a lot of unpacking planned for tomorrow."

"It's a little late to walk home alone. Why don't we go with you?" Donnie offered.

"Who says I'm walking," she smiled back. She bent down and picked up her helmet and jacket that she had tucked by the side of the couch. "I'm not sure if you guys could keep up," she shrugged her shoulders.

"You have a bike?" Raph gasped, his eyes sparkling.

"I think he's in love," Mikey whispered and nudged Donnie in the side. The two dissolved into silent giggles.

"Do you ride?" Eve ignored the two laughing turtles and focused on Raph.

"Shell yea I do!" He beamed with pride.

She slipped her jacket on and pulled her hair out from underneath it. "Good. I need a new riding buddy." She tucked her helmet under her arm. "Maybe we can go tomorrow night."

Leo stepped forward, "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Don't worry. I'll send him home in one piece," she winked at him. "Night, boys," waving, Eve walked out the front door and shut it behind her.

Mikey rounded on April, "Your cousin is totally radical! Why didn't you tell us she was coming."

April scratched the back of her head. "I actually didn't know she was. She said she had a surprise for me, but I didn't know the surprise would be herself. Turns out she wanted to be a little closer to family and decided to move her yoga studio up here."

"Well I'm glad she did. This is gana be fun," Raph grinned from ear to ear.

"Careful Raph, she's a handful," warned April.

"Compared to Mikey, I'm sure she's a walk in the park," Donnie grabbed his brother playfully around the neck and rubbed his head.

"Hey!" Yelled Mikey.

* * *

"Yo Raph! Get your shit and lets go!" Eve was geared up and holding her helmet waiting. "Hey guys," she waved at Mikey and Donnie who were sitting on the couch watching tv. In the last few weeks, Eve and Raph became fast friends bonding over their love for bikes. They also both had tempers and made Leo's blood pressure spike. The turtles had finally let her come see the lair only after meeting Master Splinter. Now, she showed up almost everyday.

"Leo's not gana let you go," Donnie called back twisting around to look at her.

"Ugh, what did the hot head do now?" She grumbled and hung her head dramatically.

"They got in to a fight this morning... again," answered Mikey.

"Well Leo's gana have to suck it up." Raph flipped down next to her with his own gear and helmet.

"Perfect, let's get outa here," she smiled. They both were just making their way out when another voice called "Not so fast!"

"Shit," both Raph and Eve sighed.

"I'll distract him and you slip out," Eve whispered to him. "Hey Leo! What's up?" she said loudly moving his way.

"Oh this is gana be good," Mikey nudged Donnie.

"He can't go out tonight," Leo glared passed Eve at Raph.

"Come on Leo. Give him a break for a change. I'll owe you a favor." She made her eyes big and pouted.

"You still owe me a favor from last time," he turned his gaze to her now instead.

"Pleaseeee," she clasped her hands together and begged.

"He's not going out," Leo firmly planted his feet.

"Look, I get that you guys don't always get along." She walked passed him and he turned to follow her. With his back now towards the door, Raph walked out unnoticed.

"Damn she's good." Donnie whispered to Mikey. Mikey nodded back. "'Some time apart will do you some good." She now traced her fingers down Leo's plastron. "And maybe next time, I'll let you ride bitch on my bike." She leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "If you're lucky," she breathed as she pulled away and walked towards the door again.

Fuming, Leo whipped around after her. "What do you mean ride bitch?"

Mikey and Donnie were laughing. "She means the back seat of her bike dude," Mikey answered.

Just then Leo noticed Raph was gone. "Where did he go? I said you guys weren't going out!" He called after her as she made towards the exit again.

"Bye, Leo. Be back in a few hours." Eve just waved and kept walking.

Leo stomped off in the direction of the dojo. Raph was so going to pay for that later.

Eve caught up with Raph in the garage. "Can't believe that worked. Let's get the hell outa here before stick up his ass decides to follow."

"Amen to that sister." Raph revved up his bike.

The two spend off into the city. They raced each other to an abandoned parking lot by the docks. Every couple of days they would come here and try out different stunts they'd always wanted to do. Their most current one involved Eve standing on Raph's shoulders. After a number of close calls, they called it a night and headed their separate ways.


	2. Chapter 2

Eve whipped around the corner and took off running. She could hear Raph's scream behind her. With only a limited amount of time before he would come after her, she needed to think. Where would she be safe? Someplace he would never dare go. The light bulb went off in her head and she knew her destination. The dojo. She busted through the doorway and sent the door slamming shut behind her. Leo was exactly where she wanted him to be. Since he was used to living with three brother, he hadn't even flinched when Eve came into the room like a bat out of hell. Careful not to knock any candles over, she scrambled around behind Leo and crouched down behind his shell. "Don't mind me dude. Pretend I'm not here," she whispered.

Without moving or opening an eye he asked "What did you do now?"

"Just playing a friendly game of hide and seek..." at that moment Raph decided to let out another scream, "where'd you go you little shits?"

"Okay so maybe Mikey and I placed some spiders around Raph's room. Please let me stay," she begged. The door to the dojo flew open for a second time within a couple minutes. With her fingers crossed, Eve held her breath and waited. Raph scanned the dojo looking for any sign of the pair. "No one else is here Raph," Leo finally opened his eyes to stare down his brother. "Now if you don't mind, I was busy." Grumbling, Raph left and shut the door somewhat quietly.

"I never doubted you for a second," Eve flung her arms around Leo from behind to give him a hug and kissed his cheek. "You totally saved my ass!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have helped Mikey with his prank in the first place," he reasoned.

"Oh come on. Even you can't resist Mikey's puppy dog eyes. Besides, it's fun. Maybe you should try it sometime." She moved around to sit in front of him instead.

"I think I'll pass," Leo closed his eyes again to get back to his meditation.

Eve realized he was nicely trying to dismiss her, "It's rude to ignore your guests ya know."

"Seeing as I didn't invite you in here, you are hardly my guest at the moment," he didn't open his eyes.

She scooted closer to him so their knees bumped together. "Will you teach me?"

Leo's eyes popped open to see her smirking at him. "Excuse me?"

"Teach me," she nodded at his sitting position.

"You want to learn how to meditate?" His head cocked to the side. Clearly this was another one of her jokes.

"Well not just that. I want to fight," she was positively beaming at this point.

"No," he replied without pause. There was no way he was going to train her. She was enough trouble as it was and with even some ninja skills under her belt who knew how much worse it would be. Plus, she may begin to bug about being allowed to go on patrol with them.

"At least give it a thought! I'm a good student. Please, Leo," she batted her eyes.

"No." Firmly, he crossed his arms.

"Fine. I'll ask Raph to teach me. He's always bragging about being better than you anyways. I'm sure he'll love the chance to prove it." Eve placed her hands on the floor and began to push off. Her butt had left the ground when Leo placed both hands on her knees and pushed her back down.

"Alright," he glared at her. "But only because Raph would end up getting you hurt. And there are rules," he pointed his finger at her face. "Be on time and no messing around."

A second smirk appeared on Eve's face that night. "Aww Leo," she leaned closer to him, "you know how much I love messing around. Especially with you," she winked.

A light blush formed across his face. Good thing he was green. "I'm so gana regret this," he murmured. He sighed deeply, readying himself. "Place your hands in mine."

"Gladly."

"Now close your eyes and concentrate on matching your breathing to mine."

The minutes ticked by. It started with a little tickle sensation on her nose. The tickle spread to her foot. Then her right knee started to hurt, followed by her left. Her butt was no longer comfortable. She gave in and shifted her weight. Then heard a little "ahem." Opening her eyes, she found Leo starring at her with his one brow raised. "I'm not used to sitting like this for too long!" she defended herself.

"It's been ten minutes," it was Leo's turn to smirk.

"That's it," she squeaked. "Ugh!" She uncrossed her legs and fell backwards. "Help me up! I think my feet fell off." Eve stretched her arms out in front for Leo to grab hold. Still sitting down, he grabbed her hands and pulled sharply to bring her to her feet. Pins and needles shot through both feet as her full weight rested upon them. She collapsed and her momentum carried her sprawling across Leo who rolled backwards. The pair ended with Eve pinning him to the ground.

"Sorry," she murmured right next to his ear. She picked herself up a little to hover above him. Her breathe hitched at the look he was giving her. Flushed, her eyes flicked down to his mouth and then back to his eyes. His eyes were guarded once more. That look he gave her may have only shown for a second, but there was no mistaking what it was. Desire. "You okay, Leo?" Eve lowered herself inches away from his face. "You're breathing really heavy." She kept her face in what she hoped was an innocent expression.

"I'm fine." He rolled out from under her and stood. "Let get started on some basic training."

He showed her a basic kata, correcting her posture and movements with small touches here and there. They started to look like a pair of dancers. Each moving fluidly around the other. After one particular caress that lingered on her hot skin, Eve turned her head to stare back at the turtle behind her. He was breathless like she was, but for a completely different reason. His hand slowly glided across the bottom of her outstretched arm, lifting it slightly as it went. It took him a moment to finally realize that Eve had stopped and was watching him. He coughed, uncomfortable, and took a step away from her. "That's enough for one day."

Eve had barely lowered her arms before Leo was out the door. Getting ahold of herself, she made to follow him. Right as her foot crossed the doorway another turtle popped into her view.

"There you are!" Raph glared.

Eve held her hands up in front of her. "Now Raph..." she slowly backed away, "we can talk about this, right?"

"It's pay back time." Raph advanced on her.

Eve gulped.


	3. Chapter 3

His doorway loomed imposingly before her. She never imagined doing this before she had met the turtles. This was something a man would do before proposing. What was she thinking? This was ridiculous. Shoving her doubts and insecurities aside she raised her fist to knock on the door. "Enter," a voice called before she got the chance. "Creepy ninjas," she thought.

Eve slid his door open to reveal Master Splinter cross legged on the floor before her. "Sit child," he smiled warmly, gesturing to the spot in front of him. She eased herself down. "What troubles you?"

"I've umm.." she started, but couldn't finish. Her face flushed a brilliant shade of red. "I wanted to ask..." she tried again. Eve dropped her eyes to the ground. Her fists clenched. "I'd like permission to date your son," she forced the words out.

"Of course you have it!" Splinter was beaming when she looked up surprised. "Nothing would make me happier than to see a son of mine in a relationship I never thought they'd find. Raph and you will make an excellent couple."

"Oh." Eve paused before continuing. "It's not Raph." She twisted her fingers nervously.

"Then..." Splinter trailed off.

"Leo." Eve set her face with determination. She was ready to be told no. He was after all the leader of the family. Raph warned her about that. Said that there's no way Leo would be allowed to be in a relationship what with all his responsibilities. Then, even if he was, he himself wouldn't allow it. She would cross that road in time, but for now she still had to deal with Splinter's decision.

"I see," Splinter looked at her long and hard. Finally he sighed," My answer still has not change."

"Really?" Eve sputtered. "But I thought.."

Splinter cut her off, "Yes, he has responsibilities the others do not, but that should not keep him from love. I believe he is capable of separating the two. Tell me. If you long for someone, but aren't with them is that more of a distraction?"

"Well I guess that depends," she replied.

"On?" Splinter questioned.

"How much I truly care for the person," she nodded firmly.

"Then would it not be better for Leo to be with you than be distracted," he reasoned.

"Depends on how he feels about me," Eve looked down at the floor again.

"And how does he feel about you," Splinter asked softly.

"I'm not sure," she hung her head lower. "But I wanted your permission before I started to pursue him. I knew it would be important for him," she perked up a little. "Also, if you wouldn't mind, not mentioning this conversation to him." She gazed hopefully onward now.

Splinter bowed his head, "Your secret is safe with me child."

Flashback

 _"Dude, what's with hanging out with Leo so much?" Raph took a shot and slammed it back on the table._

 _"What do you mean?" Eve also took her shot._

 _"You know.. all the training and meditation bull shit." Raph grabbed the bottle to pour another._

 _"I'm learning how to defend myself," the lie slipped easily off her tongue._

 _"Liar," Raph smirked, sliding her full shot glass back across the table._

 _"Am not!" She grabbed the shot and pounded it back._

 _Raph downed his as well, "Then why do you always come out smelling so aroused?"_

 _"What?!" Eve sputtered on her chaser. "You can smell when I'm turned on?"_

 _Raph chuckled, "We can smell a lot more than that. You know that time of the month?" Eve's eyes widened. "It makes us go crazy."_

 _She was dumbfounded and embarrassed. "I've been hanging out with you for months! And you're just now mentioning this to me? Unbelievable!" She shook her head before sliding her shot glass back. "I need another."_

 _Smirking, Raph began to pour again. "So, you have the hots for Leo. Fearless leader. Stick up his ass. Boring Leonardo."_

 _Eve dropped her head to the table. "Can we not talk about this?" she mumbled._

 _"No way," Raph slid the shot back again, "this is happening." He took his own shot again._

 _"God! Why do I drink with you?" Eve sat up and brought the shot to her lips. "Bottoms up," she tilted it back. "Does he know?" She tried to focus on the turtle in front of her._

 _"Trust me. Everyone knows." Raph tilted his chair back resting it on two legs. Cocky shit. "The pheromones coming off the two of you after a session are enough to send all of us to take a cold shower."_

 _"Ugh, you're so gross!" she glared at him._

 _The legs of his chair slammed back onto the ground. "Seriously though," Raph shifted nervously now, "yer gana get hurt."_

 _"Aww Raph! Are you being protective?" Eve smiled sweetly._

 _"Shut up and drink," he grumbled as he poured them both another drink. After he finished he continued, "Even if he feels the same he can't be with you." They stared at each other across the table. Their drinks sat forgotten. The once fun atmosphere hung heavy around them. Despite drinking so much, Eve's throat felt like a desert._

 _"I don't understand." Her head was starting to cloud from all the shots._

 _"He's our leader. He always puts us first. So if Splinter did give him permission, which is a big if, fearless would still have it stuck in his head that he can't. You'd be a distraction from his duties."_


	4. Chapter 4

"What's with the glasses?" Raph questioned her as she bent down to pop the DVD in.

"Just a little headache. Nothing to worry about," she replied as she straightened back up. With sunglasses on in the lair, it was a wonder she could see anything. "Let's get this started." Eve plopped herself down in between Mikey and Raph on the couch. The other day it had come out that the boys hadn't seen the star wars movies and Eve had taken that as a personal insult. So, of course, that situation needed to be rectified immediately.

"We can do this another time if you're not feeling well." Leo was sitting in a chair by himself starring at her in concern.

"Really, it's not a big deal." She stretched out to grab the remote from the coffee table. The slight wince and sharp intake of breathe she couldn't hold back from the motion had Leo on full alert. Perched on the edge of his chair, he took in her entire body. She was sitting with her weight shifted to one side and had her one arm wrapped around her middle. Something definitely was off.

"Take off your glasses," Leo commanded.

"What? No! I need them." Eve tried to ignore him and hit the play button.

"I said, take them off," he ordered again.

"Leo, some people get light sensitive when they have headaches," Donnie came to her defense.

"She doesn't have a headache." Leo stated, starring her down.

If looks could kill, he'd be dead with the look he got back from Eve. Not that he could see it behind the glasses. "Yes, I do," she spit back.

"Remove them or I will." He made to rise out of the chair.

"Dude, calm down." Raph chimed in.

"Yea," Mikey added, "the movie's starting!"

"I won't ask again." He was now on his feet, arms crossed.

"God, hard ass." She whipped the glasses off. "Happy! I have a black eye. No biggie. Now lets please watch the movie." She also crossed her arms and sank as far into the couch as possible.

"Whoa! You look like a panda,"Mikey chuckled at his own joke.

"Having a little fun without me?" questioned Raph.

"I have an eye patch with your name on it," Donnie laughed.

"Hardy har har. You guys are hilarious," she responded.

"And your side," he raised his eye ridge. She hated when he did that. It was his I'm all knowing bullshit he liked to flaunt about.

"Ughhhh," she stood and pulled her shirt up to reveal a nasty black and blue bruise that ran up her entire side. "It's really not that bad," Eve hung her head.

The brothers all broke into an uproar at once. "Who did this to you?"

"What happened?"

"Just tell me who to punch!"

Finally Leo got their attention, "Enough! Tell us what happened."

Eve pulled her shirt back down and sat once more. "Really guys. It's stupid. Some guy at a bar didn't take kindly to me rejecting him. He sucker punched me before I could do anything and got in a few kicks while I was down."

"Im gana kill him!" Raph raged jumping to his feet.

She quickly grabbed his arm. "No you won't! The cops came and took him to jail."

"Well he won't stay there forever," Raph whispered, slowly sinking back into his seat.

"That was extremely irresponsible putting yourself in a dangerous situation like that," Leo admonished her. His face was set to leader mode.

Eve starred at Leo dumbfounded. "Dangerous situation? Leo, I went to a bar. Is it my fault some dude doesn't understand the word no?"

"You should be prepared for anything! You should have had someone with you!" He pointed his finger at her glaring.

"I did! Casey and April were both there along with some of our other friends. Case was the first one on the guy after he hit me." She was on her feet now glaring right back at him.

"You still shouldn't have been there in the first place!" He yelled in her face.

"Well excuseeee me." She threw her arms out to the side. "No one told me I wasn't allowed," she made quotation marks around the word, "to go out with my friends."

"That's not what I'm saying..." Leo started, but Eve cut him off.

"Then what point are you trying to make, huh?" She pushed him and he stumbled back a step. "Cause right now you're coming across as a fucking asshole."

"I.. it's just that," he struggled for the words. "Never mind," Leo turned and stomped off towards the dojo.

Mikey called after him, "But dude! What about the movie?"

"Let him go," Raph said. "Where'd the remote go? We need to rewind this some."

Eve watched as Leo slammed the dojo door behind him. She was beyond pissed that he tried to place the blame on her for what that guy did. There was no way she could relax and watch the movie being so fired up. Groaning, Eve stomped off after Leo. "You guys start without me. I'll be back."

She wretched the door open and slammed it shut behind her. Leo was already working up a sweat attacking the air in front of himself with his katanas. He looked her way when she appeared, but didn't stop.

"What the hell's your problem?" Eve started in on him again. Of course he ignored her. She wasn't having that for one second. Grabbing a spare bo staff off the wall, she chucked it at him with all her strength. Being a ninja, it wasn't hard for him to dodge the staff as it came his way. He stopped and hung his head. His fists clenched his katanas tightly.

"I should have been there. One of us should have been there," he growled.

She starred hard at him. Her mind working fast. Then her whole body relaxed, the anger leaving as fast as it had come. "Ohhhh. This is that thing you do where you take all the blame cause you're the leader and think everything is your fault," Eve said quickly.

"What?" Leo tilted his head up a fraction to look at her.

"Yea. Your brothers warned me about this. You're just worried about me and don't know how to express those feelings," she reasoned. A smile actually broke out on her face. "You care about me."

"No.. that's uh.. I don't.. it's..," Leo tried to argue.

Eve walked towards him as he struggled to find the words. "It's okay," she said, grabbing onto his arm. "I care about you too." Her heart was pounding in her chest. She gazed up into his eyes. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that he could feel the longing radiating off her body. He was like a magnet pulling her in.

Leo suddenly pulled away and sheathed his katanas, breaking the spell. "Lets go watch that movie." Eve was still trying to catch her breath as he moved away from her. "You coming?" He turned back to look at her.

"What? Oh yea..," she replied, shaking her head to clear it. Moving quickly, she was at his side once more. "Come on," she took ahold of his arm again, "you can sit with me and I'll fill you in on what you missed."

As the door slid open, three nosey turtles toppled forward. "Hehe. Hey guys!" Mikey grinned up at them sheepishly.


	5. Chapter 5

It was very late. Donnie had decided to try to finish up a project he was working on before turning in the for night after the movie finished. A knock on his lab door echoed around the otherwise quiet room. Weird. He thought all his brothers were in bed. "Come in," Donnie let out a big yawn. The door was pushed open to reveal his big brother Leo. "What are you doing up?" Donnie asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Leo replied. "I need you to look something up for me."

Donnie smiled at that. "You mean you want to know where that guy is that attacked Eve."

"I.. how did you know?" Leo said shocked.

"Well you're kinda predictable when it comes to her," Donnie shrugged his shoulders. "Plus, I already looked it up myself," he handed Leo a piece of paper. "He was released on bail today. That's his address."

"Right," Leo nodded. "Thanks," he turned to leave the room.

"Oh, and Leo," Leo turned back to face Donnie as he spoke, "try not to hurt him too bad." With that he turned back to his project as if there had been no interruption in the first place.

* * *

Leo was in luck. The guy was standing outside on his balcony smoking a cigarette. Silently, he jumped down behind the man, but stayed in the shadows.

"You tried to take advantage of a women the other night," Leo rumbled in a haunting voice. The man jumped and dropped the lite cigarette.

"Holy shit!" he yelled. "Who are you? How'd you get up here?" He starred into the darkness, shaking.

"I'm someone who punishes people like you." Leo slowly slid one of his katana out, making sure the man heard the sound. He moved it forward and let the light reflect off the blade, twisting it back and forth.

"Hey man, I don't want no problems!" A dark stain was spreading down the inside of his legs.

"You should have thought about that sooner," Leo growled. "I'll be watching. I'm always watching. Keep your hands to yourself or you'll end up with more than this." He lashed forward and brought his katana down across the mans face. It left a gash from his right eye to his chin. As the man howled in pain, Leo made his way back to the roof. He made it over the ledge when clapping started off towards the left. Raph was walking towards him.

"Well done brother. I never thought you had it in you," he smiled, still clapping. .

"What do you want Raph?" Leo glared.

"Same thing you do." He raised his hands up in submission. "Went to pay Donnie boy a visit only to find that you beat me to it. I'm so proud."

"Shut up," Leo turned away from him.

Raph continued, "It's okay ya know."

"What is?" He turned his head slightly to the side to better hear Raph.

"That you like her." It's a good thing Leo didn't see the smirk on Raph's face.

"I don't like her. She's family," he replied.

"You keep telling yourself that. See you at home bro." Raph took off into the night, leaving Leo to think about what he had said.


	6. Chapter 6

"Ready to lose?" Eve grinned and circled Leo.

Leo grinned back, "Oh, did you somehow turn into a master since our last session?" They had moved on to sparring a couple weeks ago. There was one time where Eve was so close to taking Leo down, but that may have been because he sneezed at exactly the wrong moment.

"Maybe I did," she lunged forward trying to take him off guard quickly. He grabbed her fist and used her momentum to throw her passed him. She flew forward and managed to turn it into a roll.

Raph was standing in the doorway watching the fight. The sounds drew Donnie over as well. "Back at it again," he commented to Raph.

"Yeah. This time may be different though," he smirked back.

"What did you do?" Donnie looked at him suspiciously.

"Watch and see, bro." Raph turned his attention back to the pair.

In that time, Eve had gotten back on her feet and moved to strike again. This time she fainted in for a punch and then switched to a spinning kick. She hit the mat once more as Leo blocked that as well. Attack after attack, nothing was getting through Leo's defenses. Mikey had joined his other two brothers to watch at some point. "Ten bucks she gives up in the next two minutes," he said after Eve took a particularly hard tumble that left her shaken.

"Not a chance dude," Raph replied. "Twenty she takes him down."

"Deal," Mikey grabbed Raph's hand and shook.

Leo stood ready for her next assault. Eve charged at him and let out a battle cry. She launched her whole body up and looked like she was going to tackle him. Leo bend down, so she would go sailing right over. She hit the top of his shell which slowed her down and sent her feet flying over her. The summersault left her staring straight up at Leo's back from below. Her head was right between his legs. She quickly reached up and grabbed ahold of his tail at the base before he could move. Just like Raph told her, she pulled slowly downward tightening her grip till she reached the very tip. Leo's breath caught in his throat. His eyelids drifted shut as the sensation of having his tailed touched spread throughout his body. He felt a churr building up and did his best to hold it in. This simple action had completely undone him much to his embarrassment. A groan slipped out as Eve had finally reached the tip of his sensitive tail. Suddenly, Leo knees buckled beneath him. Eve had rolled out from under him and punched him with both fists right in the back of his knees. She hooked her arm around his neck and pulled him backwards. Flat on his back now, she planted a foot on his plastron and pumped her fist into the air. "All bow to the new champion!" The three brothers started cheering from the sidelines.

Raph rushed forward, "I told you that would work!" He fist bumped her as she met him halfway. "You owe me twenty bucks, Mikey," he turned back to look at his brother.

"Dude, you totally cheated. You knew she was gana do that!" Mikey pouted.

Leo picked himself up and made his way towards the others. "What do you think you're doing teaching her stuff like that!" He gave Raph a hard shove that sent him stumbling back.

"The hell's your problem!" Raph shouted.

"That was a dirty trick. Our training should be taken more seriously. This is life and death for us!" Leo pointed his finger at him and advanced.

"Whoa, hey! I asked him to teach me stuff." Eve jumped in between the brothers and placed both her hands on Leo's chest to hold him back.

"You're just pissed you lost! Don't be such a sore loser," Raph growled moving forward as well.

"Don't, Raph," Eve turned her body to the side in order to hold a hand out towards Raph to block him from coming any closer. "Leo, it was just a joke. It's no big deal," her voice softened, trying to calm him down.

"Well if it's such a joke for you then we're done." He shoved her hand away and took off out of the room. The others called after him.

* * *

Leonardo slammed the door behind him. His heart was racing for more than one reason. He had let himself down. Why did his body have to react like that? She pulled his tail. So what? He shouldn't have become a puddle of gooey, horny turtle. It was humiliating the way he melted under her touch. God, and her scent was still clinging to his body. That scent alone was enough to drive him wild. Leo groaned and slammed his fists against his wall. His forehead pressed on the cold stone. Maybe he shouldn't have gotten so mad at Raph. No, Raph had no right interfering with his student. She was his!

The bedroom door opened behind him. Her smell wafted over and slapped him in the face. "You didn't mean that did you?" She whispered, the door clicked shut behind her.

Pulling himself together, he turned to face her, "Yes, I did." His face was set.

"Why?" She stepped towards him, sending another wave of scent washing over him.

"You're not taking this seriously," he looked slightly over her head, no longer able to look her in the eye.

"Leo," she sighed. Eve had moved directly in front of him. She took one of his hands in her own. "This isn't life and death for me. This isn't my way of life. It's my hobby. My way to spend time with you. I just wanted for once to beat you. Besides, even if they are dirty tricks, wouldn't you want me to win no matter what if I had to protect myself?" She stared upward, trying to will him to look at her.

She had a point. If she did end up in a real fight, Leo would want her to do whatever she had to do. Still, it was hard for him to admit. Was he really willing to push her away? Could he go against his instinct that longed to keep her close?

"Yes," he broke the silence, "I would want you to be safe."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow for training," she stated.

"Okay," he mumbled.

Figuring that was the best she was going to get today, she turned to leave. "Oh and Leo." She stopped and turned back, eyes blazing. "I'm gana use every dirty trick in the book from now on, cause I loved having you on your back." She flipped her hair and continued on. For a second time that night, Leo almost ended up on his knees.


	7. Chapter 7

"Let's go again!" Eve yelled over the roar of the engine. Raph nodded and whipped the bike around. Eve held on tight to his shell. With plenty of room in front of them, Raph revved the bike and shot off.

"Okay, go," he shouted back to Eve. She moved from her seated position to stand up on the back of the bike, holding on to Raph's shoulders for balance.

"Ready!" She called.

Raph took both hands off of the bike and held them back for Eve to grab. He was now keeping the bike level using only his legs. Eve placed her hands in Raph's and slowly started to ease her weight to her arms. She had just gotten both feet off the seat when something went wrong. The bike hit a large enough rock to shift it to the side slightly. Raph couldn't correct it in time. With Eve's body being supported in the air, she tilted too far to the left. Their right hands failed first, sending her down over the side of the bike. If Raph held on, she might be dragged. He let go and she rolled to the pavement and away from the bike. "Eve!" he yelled, and turned the bike around on a dime. He jumped off and ran to her side. She was groaning as he knelt down beside her. "Are you okay?" he pulled his own helmet off to look at her better.

"Yeah," she groaned, reaching up to push her face shield open. "Am I still in one piece?"

He laughed, "Yeah, it's all still there. Let's get you up." As he help her sit up, she hissed in pain. "Looks like ya got some road rash on at least your back."

"Here's to wishing I wore my heavier jacket," she winced. "I don't think anythings broken at least."

"Can you ride back?" he questioned.

"Gana have to, ain't I? Alright, let's do this." She held up her hands for Raph to heave her all the way up. Leaning on him, they made it over to the bike and somehow got her situated behind Raph again.

The ride back took longer. Raph was trying to be as gentle as possible. Any extra bumps or swerves pulled at Eve's sensitive skin. It was around 1 am when they finally rolled into the garage. Raph helped her down off the bike and into the elevator. They both started stripping gear off on the way down. With help from Raph, Eve managed to get free from the last of it right as the door opened. The lights in the lair were off. The two crept across the living room trying to be as silent as possible. Raph tripped over a controller that lay forgotten on the ground, which caused Eve to be jostled. "Ouch," she gasped.

"Shut up," Raph hissed.

"Then watch where you're going," she reprimanded.

"Pipe down. Do you want to be caught?" He pulled her closer to Donnie's lab.

"Too late for that." The lights flicked on to reveal Leo leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen with his arms crossed.

"Busted," Eve whispered.

"Do I want to know what you two were doing?" Leo walked towards the pair.

"Probably not," Raph replied.

Leo moved to Eve's other side to help support her better. The boys were basically carrying her at this point. "The road jumped up and hit me," she joked. They placed her down on the cot that Donnie keeps in the lab. Raph began rummaging through the med cabinets for supplies. "Should we wake Donnie?" Leo asked him.

"Nah. Let him sleep. Just need to clean her up and do some bandaging," he replied.

"Do you mind helping me Leo?" Eve was struggling to pull her shirt over her head. She couldn't lift her arms more than halfway up.

"Oh... umm.." he paused, staring at her.

"No time to be shy. Come on," she encouraged him.

"Alright," he murmured. Grabbing the bottom of her shirt, he gently worked it over her head and down her arms. She was only wearing a bra underneath. He averted his eyes to the side. Sure, he'd seen her in a sports bra before when they were training, but this felt different.

Raph dumped a bunch of supplies on the table next to the bed without missing a beat. "Don't forget your pants too," he added, before moving away again.

"You're just trying to get me naked," Eve called after him. She unbuttoned her jeans. Parts of the pants had been ripped away from skidding across the pavement. "Well," she looked up at Leo, "You heard him."

He felt all the blood rush to his face. She expected him to take her pants off as well.

Okay, he could do this. Taking a deep breath he bent forward, "Put your arms around my neck." Once she was holding on, he gently stood her up again. "Can you stand on your own?" Their bodies were pressed together. He could feel her bra move against his plastron.

"I think so," she wobbled a little bit after letting go from him. Her body was starting to get stiff and she was beginning to feel the extent of her injuries more now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

Leo unzipped her pants and knelt down in front of her. He worked them down over her hips and then started on the legs. It was slow work with all her cuts and bruises. Raph came back with a bowl of hot soapy water and rags right as Leo finished with the first leg. As Leo continued on to the next leg, Raph began with the largest spot of road rash on her back. Small pieces of gravel were imbedded in her skin. "Damn!" Eve growled. "What are you doing back there, Raph?" She grabbed onto Leo who was still in front of her for support.

"I'm cleaning it! Hold still!" he replied, heated. He took a couple more swipes down her back with the rag.

She hissed, "It feels like you're pulling my skin off! Be gentle with your man hands."

"Man hands?" he snorted.

"Yeah. You're big, clumsy, not gentle man hands," she grumbled. Leo finally managed to get her last leg free. She moved back to the bed and lowered herself down.

With Leo standing behind Raph now, he threw Eve a big wink. "Maybe I'll take my man hands and leave then," he huffed.

"Good! You weren't helping anyway!" Eve played along, clearly knowing where he was going with this.

"Fine!" he tossed the rag back in the water causing some to splash out. Raph stocked off towards the door.

"Whoa, hang on a second Raph!" Leo called after him. Raph pulled open the door. "Raph!" Leo yelled, but it was too late.

"You gana leave me to," Eve raised her eyebrows at him.

"Guess I can't. Lay down on your stomach." She did as she was told, while Leo retrieved the rag and bowl of water to pick up where Raph left off. It was difficult to wash all the gravel out while still being gentle. Focusing on his task helped Leo forget that Eve was laying in front of him almost naked. He finished covering her back with ointment and bandages and then moved to her legs. They weren't as bad, but it still took awhile because the damage was spread out.

"Okay, flip over," Leo said after he placed the last bandage.

Groaning, Eve once again followed his instructions. Leo washed and bandaged the front of her legs. As Leo stood back up, he noticed the large bruise already forming on her side. "Did you break a rib?" he asked.

"No. I don't think so." She tried to sit up on her own, but failed. "It sure does hurt though." Leo set his supplies down and moved to help her again. "I think I have extra clothes in the spare bedroom."

"Do you want me to get them for you?" Leo got her sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Can you just take me up there? I don't think I'm gana be making it home tonight." She let out a big yawn to prove her point. It was going on 2:30 am now.

"Let me clean up first or Donnie will kill us." By the time he put everything back in its place, Eve was nodding off. He scooped her up, bridal style, and carried her up to the extra bedroom. She woke up enough to stand on her own as Leo pulled out some comfy clothes. Finally dressed again, Leo got her in bed and tucked her in.

As he was moving away, she reached out and grabbed his wrist. "You're not leaving are you?" Her eyes suddenly bright.

"Well, I was.." Leo began.

"Please stay. What if I need something?" she begged.

Leo paused. Her eyes were so inviting. This went against his better judgement. "Okay," he said, admitting defeat. There was a chair in the corner he could watch over her from.

But suddenly, Eve was pulling him down towards her. "Come on, Leo. I won't bite. Unless you like that," she laughed and moved over a little to make room for him on the bed with her.

"This isn't... I shouldn't..." he tried to speak.

"Relax Leo. You're not sleeping in that chair." She threw the blankets over him as well. "Yeah, that's right. I can read minds too." That made him laugh. He finally sank back onto the pillow. She snuggled up to his side. "Thanks for helping me tonight."

"No problem." Leo shifted her way unconsciously.

"Good night, Leonardo," her eyes ghosted shut.

"Night."


	8. Chapter 8

"I got nothing else on the police scanners." Eve said into her headset.

"Alright, time to call it a night. Everyone meet back at the lair." Leo's voice came in loud and clear.

"Last one home hatched from a rotten egg!" Mikey called before turning his headset off.

"Oh you're on!" Raph replied, before turning his off as well.

"Here we go again," sighed Donnie. His headset was turned off as well.

Recently, Eve had started helping the boys while they were on patrol. Donnie had been teaching her how to work all his equipment and she was getting quite good at it. Mostly, she would just check the police scanner for them and tell them where the action was. Once in awhile, Donnie would need help hacking into a security system while on the run. As long as he was there to talk her through it she managed.

Tonight the brothers had split up and each gone off in a different direction. Eve was filling out logs of where each brother had been and what they did that night when a voice came from the headset she had draped around her neck. She lifted the set back to her ears, confused. Everyone usually turns them off when they're headed home. The voice was Leo's and he wasn't alone.

"Karai," Leo spoke to the shadows. "What do you want?" He had felt like someone was watching him for several minutes

"Do I need a reason to come say hi?" Karai revealed herself. She was dressed from head to toe in her foot gear.

"Always," Leo crossed his arms. He couldn't sense anyone else around.

"Come now, Leonardo. Do you think so little of me?" She began to slowly circle around him.

"I apologize," he turned with her to keep her in his sight.

"Thank you," she smiled. "But as a matter of fact, I do have a favor to ask of you."

"What's in it for me?" Leo glared at her.

"You do a favor for me and I'll do a favor for you," she purred. "It's just a little recon."

"Why can't you do that yourself?" He asked suspiciously.

"They're expecting us. But you on the other hand," she looked him up and down, "are perfect."

"I'll think about it," he turned to leave.

"You know where to find me. Same place as last time," Karai yelled after him.

"I remember," he murmured. She was of course referring to the time Leo had broken into the foot building and delivered a message to Karai to leave his family alone. Leo jumped across to the next building before taking off in a sprint. He wasn't sure what he was going to do. Karai could have a second agenda. But then again, this could help mend bridges even more. Something interrupted his thoughts.

"The next time you want to meet up with your girlfriend, you should turn off your headset," Eve pulled her own set off and turned them off. She took a couple deep breaths to calm herself. Raph had told her all about Karai and their past with her. He also mentioned how he thought that Leo had a thing for her. Well, this proved that, didn't it? Grabbing her keys off the desk, she took off out of the lair. The logs could wait till later or maybe Donnie would finish them when he returned.

"Eve?" Leo asked. When he received no response he tried again, "Eve!" Still no answer. With a little more sense of urgency, he headed for home with worry following right behind.


	9. Chapter 9

Leo raced into the lair 30 minutes later.

"Hey Leo. Do you know what happened to Eve?" Donnie asked as soon as he crossed the threshold.

"What do you mean?" Leo tried not to panic.

"She's not here. The notes for the night aren't finished either. She always does them before she leaves." Donnie explained.

Raph came in the from the kitchen at that moment. "She's still not answering her phone."

Mikey came trailing after him. "Something's not right dudes," he shifted nervously.

"I'm gana track her phone," Donnie decided and set off for the lab. His brothers trailed after him. Within a minute, they were all staring at a blinking red dot that indicated Eve's location. "She's at a... bar?" He blinked at the screen. "That's weird."

"What's she doing there," asked Mikey.

"Painting Mike," Raph slapped him on the back of the head. "Something must have happened."

"I believe I know what." Leo finally spoke up. He sighed before continuing, "Karai came to talk to me."

"What?!" Raph interrupted.

Leo glared at him to be quiet. "She asked me for a favor and I said I'd think about it. I forgot my headset was on and Eve heard the conversation."

"Well that'd do it," crossing his arms, Raph fumed.

"Did she say anything to you?" Donnie spun in his chair to look at Leo.

"She accused me of meeting up with my girlfriend," Leo murmured. Raph groaned. "But Karai isn't my girlfriend, so that doesn't even make sense!" He tried to reason and defend himself.

"You are so clueless sometimes," Mikey shook his head sadly.

"I'm going to get her." Raph stormed out of the lab.

"I don't understand what the big deal is," Leo looked hopefully at Donnie.

"Oh boy. Do you have a lot to learn about girls," he swiveled back around in his chair. Leo opened his mouth to speak. "No! I am not explaining it for you," Donnie held his hand up to stop him.

* * *

Her phone was going off yet again. She must have 30 missed calls by now. Pulling the phone out of her back pocket, she saw it was still Raph. A text popped up on her screen at that moment. It read, "If you don't answer the next time, I'm calling the cops." Her finger pressed the answer button. "What do you want?" Eve yelled into the phone, holding it up to her ear.

"I... to... out...," Raph's voice was barely coming through.

"I can't hear you over the music!" She stopped dancing and was focusing on the phone call.

Raph tried again. "Get... here... you."

"Still nothing! I'll call you in a minute!" Eve ended the call and turned to her friend. "I'll be right back!" The guy she had been dancing with touched her shoulder. "Wait here! I have to call my friend back." Getting to the exit was difficult. The dance floor was packed with people tonight. Once outside, she moved away from the entrance and called Raph back.

He answered on the first ring. "What's wrong?" His voice was gentle and concerned.

"I don't know. You're the one that won't stop calling me," she accused him.

"Don't ya play this game with me. I know ya better than that." A touch of annoyance broke through.

Eve turned and walked farther away from the people outside, not wanting to be heard. There was a small alley down the side of the bar and she stood just inside the entrance. "Fine. Leo pissed me off, so I came out to forget."

"Thought so," the voice came from right behind her.

Eve jumped, "Don't do that! I hate your stupid ninja skills." She turned and glared at Raph. He chuckled. "What're you doing here?"

"I came to take ya home," he leaned in and sniffed her. "How much did ya drink already? Ya reek."

"Not enough. And I'm not leaving! I have a guy inside waiting," she defiantly stared him down.

"Yea? Ya gana hook up with some random dude to get back at Leo?" he asked.

"That's the plan," she flipped her hair back. "So if you excuse me."

As she turned to leave, Raph grabbed her arm and spun her back around. "I'm not gana let ya do something you'll regret," he got up in her face. "You'll calm down by morning. Let me take ya home."

Raph could see her thinking about in. Some of the fury in her eyes was starting to dissipate. "Alright," she agreed. "But only if you stay the night with me," Eve poked him hard in the chest.

"Done," he nodded. "Can ya run?"

"Without falling over?" she laughed.

"Climb up then." Raph bent down to allow Eve to get on his back. Then they were off.

* * *

Eve stumbled through her door laughing. Her apartment was on the second floor above her yoga studio. Heading straight for the liquor cabinet, she pulled out whiskey and two spot glasses.

"Don't ya think you've had enough?" Raph asked, shutting and locking the door behind him.

"When did you turn into such a loser?" she slurred, slamming the bottle down on the table. "Shut up already and drink with me."

Raph pulled out his phone, while Eve poured shots. He typed out a quick text to Leo. "Got her home. Staying for the night." A shot slid his way as he hit send.

Three more shots later, Raph was tipping a very drunk Eve onto her bed. "Hey! Not so rough. Unless you like it that way," she winked at him.

Laughing gruffly, he said, "Don't ask for something ya can't handle."

"Bring it on!" Eve spread out across the bed.

"Knock it off and roll over," he pushed her, and climbed in the bed as well.

They laid there in silence for a moment. "Why don't we?" She propped herself up on her elbow to look at him.

"Excuse me?" Raph tilted his head toward her.

"Why aren't we together?" They we're staring each other dead in the eyes. Neither was blinking. They were hardly breathing. A flush began to spread across their faces. Suddenly, Eve moved and was straddling Raph.

"Whoa, hey!" He grabbed her by the hips. "What're you doing?" His eyes were large and frantic.

"What do you think?" She slowly lowered herself closer to his face. Her eyes were darting from his lips back to his eyes.

"We can't..." he tried to protest. Raph could feel her breath wash over him. It was like a sedative. His mind was foggy. What was he about to say?

"Why?" Eve hovered above him. Their lips almost touching. Yearning to crash together.

"Because," he whispered.

Eve closed the distance between them and gently kissed his lips. It was featherlight. So soft it may not even have happened. She pulled back and looked down at Raph. His eyes were closed and his breathing was picking up. That was all the incentive she needed to lean back in. Her lips touched his again with a little more force this time. About to pull away, Raph started to react. He wasn't bad for his first kiss. His hand came up to cradle the back of her head. Eve drug her tongue along his bottom lip, which prompted him to open his mouth. Their tongues clashed together. Just as fast as it had begun, it ended. Raph sat up quickly, sending Eve falling back.

"What was that for?" she whined.

"We need to stop," he wasn't looking at her. His breathing was fast and unsteady.

"The hell we do," Eve pulled her shirt off revealing her bra underneath. Moving back to him, she brought their lips together again.

"Mm.. stop!" He pushed her away. The hurt shown in her eyes. "If this was sex, only sex, you know I'd take you in a heartbeat. But it's not. You love him."

It was her turn to look away. "I don't." Tears were sparkling in her eyes.

"You do," he reached out and held her hand.

The tears fell freely now. "Well I don't want to!"

"Come here," he pulled her to his chest and held her. When her tears stopped, he asked, "Better?"

She nodded against his chest.

"Bed time then." Gently, he moved her back to the other side of the bed.

"Will you help me take my jeans off?" Her pout was pathetic.

"God. I have to do everything for you." Unbuttoning the pants, he tried to pull them off. "Why do you buy clothes that are so tight?" It was very difficult to pull skinny jeans off a drunk girl who wasn't helping. He grabbed the bottom of the legs and gave a giant pull.

Finally free, Eve snuggled under the blankets. Raph climbed back in next to her. "Hold me," she murmured.

"Needy." Raph pulled her into him once more.

"You like it."


	10. Chapter 10

Leo unlocked the door and walked inside. It was still early. The sun hadn't even come up yet. On the kitchen table remained the alcohol from the previous night or rather earlier that morning. From his vantage point, he could see his brother wasn't sleeping on the couch in the living room. Moving down the hallway, Leo came to the second bedroom first. Quietly, he opened the door, but was surprised to find it empty. Could his brother possibly have headed home already? Before he left, he wanted to check on Eve and make sure she was okay. He moved down to the next door and slowly opened that one. Anger flared up from deep inside quickly consuming him completely. There was his brother intertwined with Eve both sound asleep.

"Raphael! Get up at once!" he barked. Neither of them stirred. "Raphael!" he tried again.

Eve moaned, "Turn the alarm clock off."

"It's not an alarm clock. It's a Leo," Raph cracked an eye open to look at his brother.

"Well throw a pillow at it." She rolled away from the door and covered her head.

"It's time to go," Leo glared down at his brother. Hate radiating off of his body.

"Alright. I'm getting up." Raph threw the covers off himself and swung his legs off of the bed. He began putting his gear back on that he had piled next to the bed. Leo, however, was no longer paying attention to his brother anymore. When Raph had flung the covers off himself, they also came off of Eve slightly. Leo could see that she was only in her underwear.

"Ya gana be alright today, Eve?" Raph tossed a pillow her way to make sure she heard him.

"Yea, yea," she yawned and stretched. "I need to get up anyway to prep for my first class." As she stood up, Leo got a full view of her. He'd seen her in her underwear before, but not like this. Then, she was injured. This. Well this felt... dirty. She had slept with his brother last night for god sake and here she was parading around without a care in the world. It was like they were throwing their love in his face.

"Let's go, fearless." Raph pushed passed him in the doorway.

Finally tearing his eyes away, Leo turned to follow.

* * *

The walk back to the lair was uncomfortably quiet. Raph knew Leo had something to say to him. Sometimes his brother wasn't as good at hiding his emotions as he thought he was. They reached their hidden front door and Leo still hadn't said a single word.

"Alright, spill it. Whatever ya got to say, let it out." Raph stopped dead and waited.

Not turning to face him, Leo released his rage. "How long have you been sleeping with her?" His hands turned to fists.

"Since the first night I stayed there," Raph chuckled.

Leo spun around growling and lunged at Raph. He grabbed him by the throat, slamming him up against the sewer wall. "So she's been messing with me this entire time?" His eyes were wild, boring into his brothers.

Raph remained calm and still smiling. "Oh, ya meant to ask how long we've been having sex. Ya should really be more clearer."

"Don't play games with me." Leo was right in Raph's face.

Raph's expression turned serious. "I'm not. We've never had sex."

Leo's grip loosened, but he didn't release his brother entirely. "Then why was she in her underwear?"

"Because she was drunk," Raph replied. "If ya want to know what exactly happened last night then ask her."

Leo let his hand fall and turned away from Raph. "I'm sorry. I thought..."

Raph rested his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Maybe you should ask yourself who's the one playing games." He squeezed Leo's shoulder. "She's not going to wait forever ya know."


	11. Chapter 11

She had been debating all day on whether or not she should go. Tonight was one of their scheduled training sessions, but she was still mad at him from the day before. The time had come that she either needed to go or she'd be late. Yes. No. Yes. No. Eve paced across her living room. If she didn't go, he may show up and ask questions. She really wasn't in the mood for that. Damn it. Okay. Stopping abruptly, she steeled herself. She was going.

* * *

Deep breath in and out. Eve set her face to a neutral expression and entered the dojo. As per usual, Leo was waiting for her, but there was no warm welcome to greet her. Though Raph's talk calmed the anger inside somewhat, Leo still held on to a piece of it. Jealousy is a funny thing. He wanted to hear it from Eve herself that nothing happened.

"Let's begin." Leo pulled a katana out and gave it a swish.

"Gladly," she said, harshly. The first time she said that word in this room she had been so excited to start her training. My how things can change in a year. She pulled out a katana as well. Leo had given them to her about a month ago.

The session was heated. Many glances were exchanged, but the only words that were said came from Leo when he was correcting her. They both went through so many emotions: hurt, anger, confusion, guilt, betrayal. Eventually, Leo called a halt to her training. "That's enough for today." He walked over to the stack of towels they kept in there and tossed one to her. She was wiping down her face when he asked, "How long have you been with Raph?" Leo was staring at her, carefully watching her body language for her reaction.

Eve pulled the towel away from her face, but didn't turn to face him. "Raph and I aren't together. How long have you been seeing Karai?" Her voice, thankfully, stayed level.

Leo didn't answer her right away. His brain was quickly putting the pieces together. So, she was upset about him talking with Karai. Maybe she was even jealous. His heart gave a leap in his chest.

Eve took his silence as confirmation that her assumption was correct. Turning around, she said, "Seriously, Leo. She's tried to kill you and your family. And you like her? Do you think I don't know where that chip on your shell came from?" Tears were brimming her eyes, but she fought them down.

Holding up his hands, Leo took a slight step forward. "The only thing I've ever felt for Karai is friendship."

Their eyes met. It was now or never. There was no going back after this. She'd waited long enough. "And what do you feel for me?"

Leo didn't break eye contact. He saw the hope and longing Eve couldn't hide. If things were different, maybe they could be together. But he was a mutant turtle, an outcast, and a leader. So, he lied. "You are one of my dearest friends who I care very deeply for." He watched her break and finally looked away from what his words had done.

Several tears slid down her cheeks before she could stop them. Brushing them away roughly, Eve let her anger take over. She knew he was lying to her. He wasn't the only one that could read body language. If he would rather hurt her than love her, then so could she. "You wanna know what happened between Raph and I the other night?" She moved towards him. "You really wanna know?" Staring up at him, she continued, "Fine. I tried to seduce him. Basically threw myself at him. Because I was tired of feeling unwanted. And the only reason we didn't do it was because he said no. Thought I'd regret it in the morning. But the only thing I regret, is not giving up on a hopeless cause sooner. We're done here." Eve walked away from him. She paused in the doorway, before turning to say, "I quit."


	12. Chapter 12

"Eve? Is that you?" A voice called out from behind her.

She stopped pushing her grocery cart and turned around. Her eyes grew wide as she recognized the face smiling at her. "Gregg!" Laughing, she moved to hug him. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm in town on business. My boyfriend got sick, so I needed some supplies," he held up the cough medicine and cough drops in his basket. "I didn't know you moved here."

"I've only been here for a little over a year. Do you have any free time to catch up?" she asked, hopefully.

"I leave tomorrow," he said. Then cocked his head to the side, "but you could be my date tonight to this ball. Very big deal and everything. My boyfriend was supposed to go... Do you have a ball gown?"

"Do I have a ball gown?" she scoffed and then winked. "Of course!"

"Great! That's settled then," he beamed.

"Text me the address of your hotel and I'll meet you there," she gave him a quick goodbye hug.

"8 o'clock. Don't be late!" Gregg waved and headed back down the aisle.

* * *

Carefully holding her dresses above the ground, Eve stepped out of the elevator. "Raph! I need your help!" she shouted and looked around for the turtle.

The red turtle emerged from the dojo. "What's up, V?" As he made his way towards her, his other brothers began poking their heads out of doorways to see what the shouting was about.

"I have a date tonight. Which dress?" She held out both of her choices. One was short and black. It sparkled in the light as she moved it around. The other was a light blue and floor length. It appeared to be silky and smooth.

"Seriously?" Raph crossed his arms and frowned.

"Come on," she pouted her lower lip. "April's busy and I need to look hot."

Raph glared at her before finally giving in. "Club or dinner?" he sighed.

"Neither. It's a ball," she smiled.

"A ball?" He raised an eye ridge.

"It means a dance," Donnie helped him out on his way to the kitchen.

"The long one," Raph nodded, making his decision.

"Really? I thought for sure.." she wiggled the little black dress.

"You asked for my help! If you didn't want it then why bother me," he turned and stomped back to the dojo, muttering about women and their ridiculousness.

"Blue it is," Eve said to herself. As she made her way to their bathroom to finish getting ready, she noticed the door to Leo's room slowly shut again. A smile spread across her face.

* * *

An hour later, Eve made her way back into the main area of the lair. Her hair was curled and partly up. The dress hugged her in all the right places. It had a deep plunging neck line that went almost to her belly button. Everything was covered, but it showed off every curve of her body leaving nothing to be questioned.

A wolf whistle caught her attention. Raph jumped down from the second floor. "I told you that was the dress. You'll knock him dead." He took hold of her hand and spun her around.

Laughing, she replied, "I never doubted you for a second."

"Blue looks good on you," he winked.

"Speaking of blue," she whispered back, nodding towards the kitchen.

Leo was walking out holding a cup of freshly made tea. His gazed flickered from the cup in his hands, to the pair standing in front of him. He stuttered to a stop as he took in the sight before him. Eve might as well have been wearing nothing. It was enough to take his breath away. The cup slowly tumbled out of his hand and smashed to the ground. Their eyes locked for a second until Eve looked away, flushed. "You're going on a date?" he ignored the broken cup at his feet.

"Yes," she looked at him once more.

"I don't think that's safe," Leo thought quickly, saying the first excuse for her not to go that popped into his head.

"He's an old friend of mine," she frowned, slightly.

"Still how well do you really know him?" Leo carefully stepped over the cup.

"Give her a break, Leo. She's fine," Raph cut in.

"I don't think she should go," Leo firmly said, more so to Raph than Eve.

Raph was about to make a snappy response when Eve spoke up, "Alright. I won't go," she paused. Raph began to protest. "If... you admit you're jealous," her face was completely serious.

"I'm not jealous," he said too quickly.

"Bro, seriously?" Raph laughed.

"I'm not," he reaffirmed. "I'm concerned."

"It's not hard to say. I'm. Jealous. Easy," Eve showed him.

"I have nothing to admit," Leo squared his shoulders.

"Looks like I have a date to get to then," she smiled, despite feeling defeated. "I'll let you know how it went later," Eve leaned in close to Raph as she turned to leave.

"You're going?" Leo sounded surprised.

"You going to give me a real reason to stay?" she looked back over her shoulder.

"I..." he stopped.

"That's what I thought," Eve continued on her way. The elevator doors opened and shut behind her.

Leo stared hard at those door before Raph brought him back to reality.

"You're an idiot," he grumbled.

"Excuse me?" Leo's eyes hardened as they turned to his brother.

"You heard me. You think you're all knowing, but you're not." Raph's voice got louder.

"What don't I know?" Leo questioned.

Instead of answering, Raph made to walk off to his room.

"What don't I know?" Leo asked again. He reached out and grabbed ahold of Raph's arm to stop his progress.

Raph stayed silence for a moment. "She asked Sensei for permission ages ago." Leo's hand slipped away from Raph's arm and he continued on.

How had he not known? Why hadn't she told him? Why hadn't his father told him?


	13. Chapter 13

Leonardo paced across the floor on his bedroom. Raph had said that she asked their father for permission, but what did that mean? What exactly had she asked him? For them to be together? Did he offer his blessing? Or had he said no, and perhaps that was why she hadn't told him?

He let out a grown, rubbing his eyes. A slight headache was edging its way in. Even if he finally gave in, would it be too late? She had quit their training sessions and avoided him for the most part since. It had been about a week now. What a long week it was. Each day, Leo had gotten his hopes up that she would come back. He had waited in the dojo for her trying to will her to walk through the door. And now she was on a date. The empty feeling inside him was overwhelming. It writhed and pushed, trying to grow and take over him completely. Meditation had kept it at bay for awhile. After today, it was exploding to get out.

Not being able to take it any longer, he quickly left his room and headed for his father's. He gently tapped on the door before he lost his nerve.

"Enter," his father's voice sounded through the wood.

As he knelt in front of his father, the weight he felt upon him doubled. "Sensei, Raph told me Eve came to ask you for permission."

The great thing about Splinter was that he understood more than he let on to his sons. He knew this day would come, when Leo would finally accept his feelings and come to him. Granted, it happened later than he had expected. Sometimes even fathers are wrong in their predictions. "She did," he replied.

"He implied it was permission for us to... be together," Leo finally said those words.

"Correct," he nodded.

"And you gave it to her?" His stomach dropped, waiting for his father's answer. He was perched on the edge of a cliff with one leg stepping into thin air.

"Yes," Splinter confirmed.

That lifted foot slammed firmly back on the cliff. "Why, Sensei?"

Splinter sighed and smiled gently, "My son, I could not deny any of you happiness and love. Even you, as the leader of your brothers, deserves that."

"Why didn't you tell me? I've been so lost," Leo admitted.

"Eve asked me not to. Seeing as this is a relationship between the two of you I felt it was not my place to interfere," he reasoned.

"Why wouldn't she want me to know?" he thought out loud.

"Ah. That is a question only she can answer, my son." Splinter smiled and then closed his eyes to begin his meditation again. Leonardo was dismissed.


	14. Chapter 14

The limo driver walked around the outside of the vehicle to open the back door. Eve stepped out and thanked him before turning to wave goodbye at the people inside. She could feel eyes upon her the moment her feet hit the pavement. She'd be lying to say she was surprised. Making her way up the stairs on the outside of her building, she fished for her key in her purse. Ignoring the figure standing on the roof above her, she took her time to unlock the door. Eve left the door open behind her as an open invitation.

Leonardo had jumped down silently on the landing the moment she had crossed the threshold to follow her inside. Eve was waiting for him in her living room. "I wanted to make sure you returned home safely," he spoke firmly.

"Here I am. Safe and sound," she smiled back.

"Right," he nodded, turning to go. He had made it back into the kitchen before abruptly turning around. "Why didn't you tell me you talked to my father?" He searched her eyes for an answer.

Eve's eyes grew wide, completely thrown off. "Who?" she asked.

"Raph," he quickly stated.

She shook her head and said," I needed to make sure you wanted me for me and not because you saw me as your only option." Fire burst in her eyes as she stared at Leonardo waiting for his response.

Leo glanced down and then back up to meet her gaze. "I haven't been able to stop wanting you." This was it. He wasn't going to waste anymore time not being with her. Quickly, he crossed the room and pulled her close.

"Leo," she breathed, standing on her tip toes to reach him.

He moved down towards her and was about to kiss her finally when a sudden thought occurred to him. "What about your date?" He pulled slightly back.

Eve laughed, "He's gay!"

"What?" Leo frowned.

"My friend is gay. His boyfriend got sick and couldn't go. So, he asked me instead and.. mmm!" She was cut off as Leo crashed their mouths together.

His hand tangled in her hair, tilting her head back for better access to her mouth. Breathless, they pulled apart. Eyes still closed, their foreheads rested together.

"Are you sure?" Eve whispered.

In response, Leo tilted her head back up to kiss her again. This one more urgent and desperate. Her lips parted as Leo's tongue slipped in to brush against hers. Electricity coursed between the two.

In between kisses, Eve managed to get out, "Bedroom... now."

Leonardo's heart burst. He scooped her up in his arms without breaking contact and carried her off, slamming the door shut behind them.


End file.
